Before he could say a word, Xavia asked, “Are you serious about wanting to marry Lana, James?” She had bumped into them by accident while planning to get some dessert for the kids earlier, so after overhearing everything, there was no way she could just turn a blind eye! Regardless, James replied, “…And what’s the problem with that?” “There isn’t one, though… As you said, the fact that Lana is looking for a blind date makes it clear that she wants to move on and prevent causing any more trouble for Ian and Tiffany… With that said, being in a relationship with her may potentially end up scarring all of you… With that said, give it some more thought first, alright?” Though his gaze fell a little, he eventually patted her head while saying, “…Don’t worry about me. I’ve already made up my mind…” Since he looked so sure of himself, Xavia ultimately replied, “Well… Alright, then… I guess I’ll be rooting for you to finally get a partner! About time!” “Is that a cheer or an insult…
Upon hearing that, Lana couldn’t help but purse her lips. After all, she knew exactly how abrupt all this was… Alas, she needed to take this drastic step, otherwise, she would potentially end up as crazy as the women who had fallen for Zivon! Not wanting that to happen, she took a deep breath before replying, “…I am. Are you?” “Of course, I am! In fact, I’ve already told the staff about this to make the process even smoother. Now let’s go.” With that said, the two began entering the building… and soon enough, they were greeted by the sight of several happy couples standing before the bureau’s many windows… “We’re finally getting married, Honey! Come give me a hug!” “Oh, I’ll give you more than a hug!” replied the eager man as he began French kissing his lover, leaving Lana rather speechless. Looking away in hopes of calming down, she found herself getting increasingly flustered when she realized that the only other thing she could look at was James! James himself hadn’t ant
Of course that wasn’t it! What the hell was he even saying?! Before the embarrassed woman could explain herself, James chuckled before saying, “Don’t worry, I’m kidding… I kind of know what you mean, and… Well, let’s just go with the flow, alright…? That aside… You wanted to travel, right? Where to?” Breathing a subtle sigh of relief, Lana replied, “…Yeah, I just wanted to experience a journey on a bullet train… In fact, I’ve already bought tickets at noon, so…” “Yeah, I’m fine with that,” said James as he led her to his car and began driving them to the train station… Upon arriving, he made sure to check their tickets, carry their suitcases, and even lead her to their booth… and though that got her heart beating a little faster, she ultimately remained silent throughout the journey… It was rather late at night when the train finally arrived at W City, and since it had just rained before they arrived, it was rather chilly outside… Rubbing her palms when a gust of icy wind b
In the end, James had to wait for an entire hour before finally getting the guts to say, “…Lana? Everything alright in there…?” Nearly jumping when she heard that, she quickly turned the shower tap off before saying, “E-everything’s fine!” Following that, she quickly put on her clothes and took a deep breath before finally heading out… When he saw how nervous she still was, James was about to tell her that he was fine with sleeping elsewhere when he heard her say, “U-um… Could we… Do it next time…?” Misinterpreting his confusion as disappointment, the already pressured woman added, “I-I… I know I’m being unreasonable, but… Let’s face it, we moved too fast, and I… I just can’t see myself sleeping with you this soon… With that said… Could you please be a gentleman for now…?” Finally realizing what she was talking about, James couldn’t help but chuckle before saying, “…I never planned on laying a finger on you tonight, you know…?” …Wait, what? Had she simply been overthinking
With how close he now was to her, Lana couldn’t help but curl up into a ball. His musk was… pleasant, to say the least, but that only made her even more nervous the more she thought about it! Was she even going to be able to sleep tonight…?! Sensing how tense she was, he eventually muttered, “…You know what? I think I’ll just continue sleeping on the floor-” Before he could even sit up, however, Lana held his wrist and said, “I-it’s fine!” Realizing what she had just done, she quickly pulled her hand back before adding, “…A-again, I really don’t want you to catch a cold, and…” Watching as she struggled to find the right words, James eventually replied, “…Alright…” Once he was under the sheets again, Lana couldn’t help but breathe a subtle sigh of relief before returning to her initial position… Damn it… She was so nervous that it was getting hard to breathe… Thankfully, she had been busy enough during the day that she was eventually able to get some shut-eye… Alas, the same
It quickly became apparent that the car wasn’t going to be able to get any further due to all the leftover debris. With that in mind, all she could do was hike her way up, though… Since she hadn’t anticipated this turn of events, she didn’t have any hiking gear with her. Alas, this was an emergency, so she just steeled her soul as she continued making her way up the muddy mountain… It was an arduous journey, to say the least, and with only flats on, it didn’t take long before the woman lost her footing! Though she immediately let out a scream, she was even more shocked when she felt someone catching onto her… and when she finally caught her breath and looked up, she realized that it was James! Before she could say anything else, however, she suddenly heard James grunt… and just like that, he lost his footing as well! Hugging her tightly throughout their fall, they eventually came to a halt with James taking the brunt of the damage… “S-Sir James…! Are you alright?!” asked the ri
...W-what?! How could he say something so intimate with a straight face?! Or… Was this just how couples talked…? Looking at how much she was blushing, the smiling James shook his head before continuing to put her hiking shoes on for her… Naturally, Lana was rigid the entire time, and once he was done, he was prompted to ask, “Comfy…?” Snapping out of it, Lana quickly nodded before trying the shoes out… and sure enough, they were definitely easier to walk in compared to her flats. Nodding in satisfaction, James then plopped her flats into his backpack before saying, “Alright, let’s go, then.” Watching as he extended a hand out to her, Lana pursed her lips before eventually grabbing on… In addition to the new shoes, James’s expert lead made the hike a cinch, and soon enough, the duo found themselves at the wreckage site where a group of rescue workers were hard at work tending to the injured… “Over here, Doctor! Please, hurry!” “Here too! His breathing is extremely weak!”
Since this was the first time Lana had ever seen James being so assertive with her, she found herself momentarily at a loss of what to say. Taking that chance, James quickly carried her into one of the tents before heading out and returning with a basin of warm water… “I boiled some water over an open fire earlier, and don’t worry, I made sure to delegate most of it to those who need it. This is your portion, now get yourself cleaned and have some rest, alright?” Before Lana could reply, James had already exited the tent, making sure to zip the entrance along the way… Lana herself remained too startled to even register all that had happened for a while. After all, as a doctor, she usually took care of others, and things almost never happened the other way around… So this was what it felt like to be cared for, huh…? In the end, Lana wiped herself clean… and it was only when she tried to lift the basin away that she realized that he had also brought some clean clothes for her, li